This invention relates to the structure of a ring laser gyro and more particularly to an improved structure for maintaining mirror alignment in the presence of forces perpendicular to the lasing plane.
Ring laser gyros of the type to which may invention has particular application are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,467,472, 3,373,650, 3,390,606. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the lasing paths are formed in a solid block made of mechanically and thermally stable material such as CerVit or Zerodur. While such a construction has proved generally satisfactory, forces perpendicular to the lasing plane, such as forces due to acceleration of the gyro, cause deflection of the end mirrors. This limits the usefulness of these devices in an environment in which such forces are significant.
The objective of my invention is to simply yet effectively increase the stiffness of a ring laser gyro with respect to forces perpendicular to its lasing plane.